SKOWHEGAN, Maine — A major piece of local public art is for sale for $1.
The Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce is soliciting bids for the Skowhegan Indian, a 62-foot-tall sculpture that stands on a 20-foot base and weighs 24,000 pounds.
Last summer, the Select Board declined to accept the Bernard Langlais sculpture as a gift, saying the town could not afford an estimated $100,000 in repairs.
That left it up to the chamber to decide the sculpture’s future, and on Friday, the chamber posted a request for proposals from interested bidders.
“The Chamber seeks a responsible party who will ensure the continued care, preservation and public accessibility of the artwork,” according to the request.
The chamber did not return a phone call or email seeking comment Monday.
The sculpture is one of about 20 Langlais creations on display throughout Skowhegan as part of what’s described as “a whimsical art walk.” The town office, public library, community center and grist mill all feature works by the artist, including “Girl with Tail,” a large mermaid in the riverfront parking lot.
In the request for proposals, the chamber seeks specific information about bidders, including a detailed annual maintenance plan, a statement regarding insurance coverage and at least two references “that demonstrate the applicant’s ability to successfully manage and preserve public art.”
At the time of its dedication in 1969, the chamber said the sculpture intended to honor “the Maine Indians, the first people to use these lands in peaceful ways.”
Born in Old Town, Langlais left Maine after high school to study commercial design in Washington, D.C., according to the Langlais Art Preserve.
He spent three summers at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, trained at the Brooklyn Museum School and received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Norway.
After time spent painting in New York City, he moved back to Maine in 1966, settling in Cushing.
That same year, the Skowhegan Tourist Hospitality Association commissioned Langlais to build the Indian sculpture, which is a steel structure with a wooden exterior.
The sculpture originally depicted the Indian holding a spear in one hand and fishing weir in the other.
The art preserve describes the Skowhegan Indian as Langlais’ “most widely publicized work.”
Today it stands in a parking lot off Madison Avenue and High Street, a block north of the downtown. Visible damage includes wood missing from the bottom half of the Indian’s face and a missing left hand. His fishing spear is gone, too.
The chamber states in the request for proposals that if no qualified bidders come forward by July 13, they will “move forward with the respectful dismantling” the sculpture.
“While it is the chamber’s hope to find a suitable owner for the continued preservation of this iconic piece of art, the absence of a responsible proposal will necessitate this course of action for the future safety and security of the sculpture,” according to the chamber.
Those interested in bidding should contact the chamber at [email protected].
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